Walmart’s Private Label Jerky Treat linked to 23 Sick Dogs, 3 Deaths

WSBTV.com – an Atlanta television station – is reporting that a Walmart private label brand of jerky treat – imported from China – is linked to 23 sick dogs including 3 deaths. When will this madness stop?

To date, jerky treats imported from China have been killing and causing serious illness in dogs (and a few cats) for more than 8 years. FDA continues to tell pet food consumers they are investigating, but for some reason the FDA can’t seem to find the cause. Only with instances reported to FDA (a small percentage of the actual amount), jerky treats imported from China “are suspected in 4,800 pet illnesses and 1,000 dog deaths.”

WSBTV.com states this Walmart private label jerky treat was brought into stores in 2014. Why – with 8 years of reports of pet death and illness linked to Chinese manufactured jerky treats – why would Walmart go to China to source their own private label brand?

Walmart provided this television station with the following comment (bold added): “Exhaustive FDA tests have been performed with no conclusive connection linking specific brands or types of chicken jerky treats with claims of illness or injury. We require our pet food and treat suppliers to meet the highest of food safety standards and remain committed to providing our customers and their pets with safe and affordable foods. If consumers have questions about these products, we encourage them to reach out to the FDA or the manufacturers of these products.”

My statement sent to Walmart:

In a statement to WSB TV regarding your private label brand of jerky treats – Golden Rewards – linked to numerous pet deaths and illness, a Walmart spokesman told the television station “If consumers have questions about these products, we encourage them to reach out to the FDA or the manufacturers of these products.” As a pet food/treat consumer advocate, I can tell you with 100% certainty that consumers have begged and pleaded with FDA over the past 8 years regarding the safety of jerky treats imported from China (as they have continued to kill and sicken pets). All of our pleas have gone ignored. Your statement that consumers should ‘reach out to the manufacturer’ is disturbing, as these treats are manufactured in China. Exactly who should we call in China when our pet dies linked to these treats?

Your spokesman also stated to WBS TV “We require our pet food and treat suppliers to meet the highest of food safety standards…” Walmart should be aware this is an incorrect statement. The brands of pet foods sold in Walmart stores are not held to any ‘food’ safety standard. The correct and accurate statement that should have been provided to WBS TV is ‘We require our pet food and treat suppliers to meet the highest of feed safety standards…’ For your information, pet foods are held to feed safety standards, which is completely opposite of food safety standards. The FDA allows feed to include meats sourced from diseased animals and other horrendous non-food ingredients, feed ingredients such as meats sourced from diseased animals are not required to be held or transported under refrigeration or under clean conditions. To be painfully honest, actual feed safety standards are almost non-existent.

How can a Chinese jerky treat outsmart the FDA…for eight years? Chinese jerky treats 4,800 pet illnesses and 1,000 dog deaths – FDA zero. It is difficult to understand that jerky treats manufactured in China can continue to kill pets yet somehow continue to allude the FDA to the cause. It doesn’t make sense.

This 8 year FDA investigation needs to end. Find the cause. Get these treats off of store shelves once and for all.

Why is there not a picture of the treats’ package? Does this brand say it was made in China on the package? There are still many brands on shelves in most stores that are made in China. I read, I leave if it says China or does not disclose where it is made!

I learned a long time ago that walmart products cannot be trusted. Even before I became a really well-informed consumer, I learned that walmart clothes NEVER last very long.

Even if you buy a brand you trust, it can’t be trusted if bought at walmart. I stopped shopping at walmart years ago, but, a couple of years ago I was tagging along with a friend (just didn’t want to have to lecture her), I needed a new lock set for my front door. i saw a well-respected brand on the shelf at walmart, and bought it, thinking it was a decent purchase. Well, when I had to call a locksmith when it ceased working properly, he told me that manufacturers will send lower quality goods to walmart, so they can get to the lower price.

Sadly, most people who shop at walmart just look at the price of something as the only factor in the purchase. Quality is not part of the equation, and, with the chinese jerky, safety is not important either.

Regina, that is a ridiculous statement. I have never had a problem with anything purchased at Walmart!
I have had serious problems with foodstuffs -( past shelf-life by a minimum of 5 months) purchased at an “employee owned store”!
If you don’t like to shop at Wal-Mart, fine but no need to engage in fallacies about Wal-Mart product!

Joy ,you are the one that is ridiculous. How can you stand by a company that could care less about the quality of the products it sells to unassuming customers. Why are you reading and responding to posts, what exactly is your interest? Because it doesn’t appear you care about the Fact animals are dying and Wal-Mart is doing Nothing!

Thank you so much Susan for that well written letter to Walmart. It is so disgusting that these big companies like Walmart have the nerve to report to the media that they “care” when all of their food is only feed grade crap AND the ingredients are sourced from China. Can’t wait to see if they actually respond back to your letter. What can they possibly say except that they will discontinue ALL of the pet foods they currently have and you know they will not do that.

I had 2 pets die from this jerky–My dog and my cat loved the waggin train crap from Walmart/Sams. My dog was a very healthy 10yrs old and the cat only 8 yrs old. I will NEVER give ANYTHING to my pets that is not grown-processed etc in the US. I have also used a friends dehydrator to make my own jerky and sweet potato treats. Walmart needs to stop having these products on the shelf–they are not SAFE. People be smart and stop buying and feeding these treats to your pets-

Chewie is my precious miniature blue heeler who survived near death from the Waggin Train Chicken Jerky treats. In the photo she is 8 weeks old. She will be four years old on July 4th this year (my little firecracker). Chewie is trained in agility and a very smart little girl. She is doing well on daily and monthly medical care which must last the rest of her life, in fact is keeping her alive.

The FDA is a joke, and Wal-Mart is not just immoral, they’re amoral. An 8-year-old with a crayon and a clipboard could have “discovered” the source of the issue with these treats by now. Don’t kid yourself that just because it’s your favorite brand on the shelf in your favorite store, it’s safe. Formulas change and even trusted brands are not above swapping out cheaper ingredients to save a few bucks, ala Blue Buffalo. For the health and love of your beloved pet, let the buyer beware. For all we know, this “chicken” jerky could actually be the product of one of China’s famed dog meat farms. Read labels, educate yourself on ingredients and buy nothing not sourced in a country you trust.

Can’t buy anything at Walmart for our pets, too risky they get stuff from China and everywhere who have no respect for animals. I will not buy food or pet foods from there and I am fed up with how Walmart does its business ever since Sam Walton passed away.

My dog, Lily, is the one featured in the original story. [http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/fda-investigating-if-atlanta-pet-was-made-sick-dog/nmHTw/#__federated=1]

I contacted all the local media stations in Atlanta when Lily got sick, and WSB-TV was the ONLY one that picked up the story. I find THAT to be crazy in-and-of itself. I actually am a journalist, and would have covered it myself, but it is a conflict of interest for me to write about my own experience, because it would be very difficult to be objective.

My bills have reached about $7k at this point, with no further movement on Lily’s GoFundMe page [http://www.gofundme.com/savelittlelily] beyond $285. But she is doing very well, despite enduring the subcutaneous fluids every other day, and my shoving 7 pills down her throat daily.

WalMart needs to be stopped, and I am trying, trust me. I am waiting to hear back from a law firm who is looking into my case.

Thanks for spreading the word. This has been a nightmare that isn’t even close to over yet, and I don’t want anyone else to have to go through it.

If you would like to cover a story of two healthy, precious dogs (dachshund and yorkie) who died horrible, painful deaths with multiple organ failure, weeping subcutaneously due to the shifting of fluid which caused hair loss and then hemorrhaging as a result of the Golden Rewards treats, please email me. We had tissue samples studied by multiple Universities, have found a probable cause and know that Shandong Honva is at fault. When they were inspected several years ago they refused to allow the US inspectors to truly investigate the cause of all the deaths. I filed a complaint with Wal-Mart, who sent me to their company that handles complaints about products….and ultimately prevents them from being sued. I even spoke with a Shandong Honva representative in New York who asked me “how much I want”. I told him nothing but take the Golden Rewards off the shelves. Of couse, it was not removed. I believe the culprit is rickettsia that is killing our pets. The nasty conditions in Chinese factories sis to blame for the infected rodents, fleas and body louse (and their stool), all of which can be found in the bags of treats…not the treat itself, during packaging.

I’ve ignorantly gave me dog Golden Rewards Duck Jerky from Walmart. recently he’s broke out in sores all over his body. they’re healing now but still itch him. Has anyone heard for a connection. I’ve immediately stopped giving him these treats, and I’m looking online for any other cases og skin allergies linked to these type treats.

Haven’t heard anything linked to skin allergies…HOWEVER, no dog owner should risk the life of their pet by giving them ANY type of jerky treat sold by Walmart that are made in china; More importantly, Walmart’s brand, “Golden Rewards”.

I’m having the same issue with my older German Shepherd. He has unexplained lesions over his belly. Vet thought it was allergies. I Also have a 2 yr old German shepherd who has had diarrhea for the last two days. Both of them have been given the Golden Rewards duck jerky which is now in the trash. Never again will I put my furbabies through this agony nor will I trust Wal-Mart ever again!!

I bought my vandal(a pit bull/great dane mix puppy) 2 bags of the golden rewards jerky. One chicken and one duck. I gave him one of each the same night I bought them. The next morning he vomited twice. I didn’t put two and two together because I was not aware of the problem these treats have caused so many animals. Plus he is a puppy who gets into everything, eats anything it seems like. He seemed fine the rest of that day. Well that evening, I was in the shower and vandal had gotten both bags of treats and ate every single one of them out of the bags and tore up the bags into pieces. That’s when it went downhill…he had diarrhea, vomiting and he did not hardly move off the couch for almost 3 days except to use the restroom. He would drink water and I got him to eat a tiny bit of dog food just twice in those 3 days. I could hear his stomach making loud gurgling noises and he looked just pitiful. I could see he felt absolutely horrible. He just wanted to sleep or lay around. He is normally an extra hyper dog, who wears me out trying to keep up with him. This has been a week now, and thank god, he is better, back to his old rambunctious self, eating good, playing, being a vandal. I have 0 doubt that it was the dog treats that did it. Could just be that he ate too many wje. He got into the bag, but he was very very I’ll. I will never again get a bag of treats from walmart or let anyone I know give their dogs any. I wish I would have known about the investigation and illnesses linked to these treats, before I had bought them. It could have been a way worse outcome, and he still may have problems related to it in the future, who knows what damage it did.